Two men have tragically lost their lives in separate hiking incidents in the Flatirons near Boulder, Colo. The first incident occurred on December 18 when a 27-year-old man was found dead after being reported missing by his sister. His body was located in a remote area near the Third Flatiron after a multi-agency search operation that lasted over eight hours.
Only two days prior, on December 16, the body of Keith Hayes, 42, was discovered on a rock ledge near the Second Flatiron. Hayes had been reported missing by his friends, who found his body after he failed to return home. Multiple agencies, including Boulder Parks and Open Space Rangers and the Rocky Mountain Rescue group, responded to the scene to recover his remains.
The 27-year-old man found on December 18 has not yet been publicly identified by the coroner’s office. The Flatirons, a prominent feature of Boulder’s landscape, are a group of sandstone formations in the city’s foothills. However, recent reports have shown an increase in climbing-related deaths in the area in 2024.
Authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of these two hikers, and they serve as a reminder of the hazards and risks associated with hiking in the rugged terrain of the Flatirons. Our thoughts are with the friends and families of the victims during this difficult time.
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